From 100,000U Down to 5,000U: The Tearful Journey of a Crypto Trader's Awakening

There are nights when the screen flickers red and green until it blurs, a cold cup of coffee beside a full ashtray. Someone once full of energy now only wonders: “Am I the fish that the market is waiting for?” I have witnessed a friend go from 100,000U capital down to 5,000U in less than a year. His story is not uncommon in crypto: constantly entering trades out of “fear of missing out,” withdrawal fees draining accounts; market fluctuations causing psychological breakdowns. Every “all-in” attempt is made with the hope of recovering, but the one who gets “carried away” is always himself. He once jumped into meme coins after seeing others boast about profits, only to wake up the next day with just a few hundred in his account. At 3 a.m., still glued to the chart, taking one trade after another, his entire being dragged along by each candle. Then he came to me. I don’t give secret formulas for wealth. I only ask him to change three fundamental things. These three things have helped his account gradually recover.

1. Participate Only When Probability Is High — Don’t Let K-Line Lead You Astray Don’t get caught up in very short timeframes. Many short-term movements are just noise. Opportunities worth taking usually appear when the trend is clear on larger timeframes. Missing a move is not scary; reckless trading is what causes damage. When the market is quiet, it’s best to stay out. Focus only on coins with clear trends. Most of the time, the market does not give quality signals — like surfing, you don’t need to chase every wave, just wait for the right one. The essence of trading is waiting. When you reduce the frequency of trades, the probability of success naturally increases.
2. Growth Through Discipline — Not Just Adrenaline Build capital rules and adhere to them like ironclad laws. Start small to “test the waters,” and only increase when your position has an advantage. When reaching your target, take some profits to protect your gains; the rest should have mechanisms to safeguard profits. Most importantly, risk management — the factor most often overlooked. Greed when in profit and hope when in loss are the times the market “harvests” the quickest. A good trader is not someone who never loses, but someone who knows how to limit losses and keep the capital curve rising over time.
3. View Stop-Loss Discipline as a Lifeline — Bad Psychology Means Stop When emotions run high or after a few unsuccessful trades, stop. Turn off the screen, rest, then come back with a clear head. Dedicate time daily to review: why did I lose, what helped me win. Winning must be clean, losing must be understood. Don’t try to predict the top or bottom. Don’t buy just because you’re “afraid of missing the train,” don’t sell just because you’re “afraid of losing profits.” The two biggest enemies of investors are FOMO (fear of missing out) and FUD (fear, doubt). Humans hate losing more than they love profits, so it’s easy to “close early, hold losses” — ending with little profit and bigger losses. On the Path from 5,000 Back When he truly follows these principles, his account begins to change. He asks: “Why didn’t anyone talk about these before?” The answer is simple: many prefer to chase prices rather than admit they are betting. Crypto offers opportunities, but the traps are more numerous. The few who make sustainable money are a minority; most become “fuel” for the market. To survive, first you must endure. To go far, you need discipline. Review your trading history. Are you willing to face your repeated mistakes? Are emotions controlling your decisions? The market will always be there, but your capital might not. Before chasing profits, learn risk management. Before catching trends, build trading discipline. The market is always changing, but human nature remains unchanged for thousands of years. Understanding yourself is more important than market analysis.